The Light Age
The Age of Light is part of the larger article on Gryphon History. 1100 AF An unidentified plague gripped North East Lyonesse and in the Spring, Lord Timothy de Wilfsbane, having succumbed to the illness, announced his retirement as Lord Gryphon. King Louis of Lyonesse and King Maximillion of Estragales appointed the former Lady Chancellor, Joanna de Beauforte, to the position of Lady Gryphon after careful deliberation following de Wilfsbane’s retirement. Blue smoke rose above the Palais de Versailles in Lyonesse and the King’s golden standard flew in Florentia to honour the elevation of the first female to hold the post in over one hundred and fifty years. Lord Moloque was appointed as her second in command, in his new role as Lord Marshal and Provost General Jean Jaques d’Argent, Marquis de Dauphin was appointed third in command. A longstanding group of Gryphons known as the Red Branch had gradually become disgruntled with the direction the Gryphon Faction was taking along the path of light. They persuaded Clan MacBeth of the Bears, the Rancid Tusks from the Vipers and assorted miscreants from within the Tarantulan Faction to form the Dark Alliance. Without provocation, the Dark Alliance staged a series of murderous attacks upon the Gryphon Faction. Many Gryphons were lost and passed into shadow. A group of elves known as the Sylvan revealed themselves at the Spring Parliament and it soon transpired that their lands were hidden from sight by magical means and adjoined Lyonesse along the Western coast. At the Gathering of 1100AF the identity of the revolutionary - the White Rose - was discovered to be Hrothgar Magnusson, the then Gryphon Chanceller who was being aided by the heretic Pape who kidnapped the Lady Gryphon, transporting her to the underdark. The faction gave chase and eventually faced the heretic when, in defence of the Lady Gryphon, Jean Jaques d’Argent, the Duc de Dauphin died in a surge of high magic. In a do or die effort d’Argent unleashed all his remaining power at the necromancer Pape who plunged a spear into the Lord Chamberlain's heart. This granted the rest of the Gryphons valuable time in which to rescue the Lady Gryphon from the necromancer and one of the faction’s greatest enemies. The White Rose, Hrothgar Magnusson was eventually apprehended, tried and sentenced to death. 1101 AF Lady Joanna de Beauforte abdicated her position as Lady Gryphon as the King of Lyonesse died of old age and she became heiress to the Throne of Lyonesse. Lady Joanna was crowned Queen of Lyonesse at a ceremony within the great hall of the Cathedral of Rouens. Count Louis d’Armoir was appointed Lord Gryphon by the new Queen and an ailing King Maximillion of Estragales but the celebrations were short lived. King Maximillion passed away and as there was no clear successor a court was appointed to determine his rightful heir. Followers of Karneyna were found within the Faction and dispatched with haste by the new Lord Gryphon, fearful that the long dead tyrant should return to claim his place. For most of the year creatures known as Grey Terrors and sent by Annwyn, an ancestor of the Wheel, terrorized many within the Gryphons. These creatures caused nightmares and fear terrible enough to kill. Queen Joanna married Prince Manthar K’Seekin of Mauritania. 1102 AF After much research, conducted by Queen Joanna and many others, it was discovered that Annwyn was the sister to Arianrhod and after many months a means to defeat her was discovered. At the Winter Parliament she was vanquished by Cerrydwen Harmony Starcraft with the aid of Lleldorin con Argentos and as she fell to the ground she vanished. It was during this year that the loss of Zebuchadnezzar in 1099 was truly felt. The Gryphon Sword released the demon from within as it was no longer bound without the ritual that had been performed by Zeb each year. Unsurpassed as he was in many ways, Zeb could not write and had left no record of the ritual which he had learnt by heart without disclosing his source. The demon attacked the Gryphons in a vicious fight but was eventually defeated and, bowing down before the faction, it agreed to serve The Lord Gryphon, Lord Louis d’Armoir. Rumours of a powerful weaver of enchantments began to spread as some Gryphons took up offers to learn skills that would normally take months or extremely hard work to acquire. In late winter those who had hoped to be gifted with new skills returned having had appalling surgical procedures performed upon them. Gradually the tribulation forced upon the Gryphons by the Dark Alliance waned. The Clan MacBeth were hunted and trapped by an alliance of factions, including the Gryphons. They were killed to a man. Queen Joanna gave birth to a son - Prince Briar. 1103 AF At the Spring Parliament it came to light that Claude Sorcelliere the High Ritualist of the Gryphons, had been involved in the mutilation of some of the populace and was in league with one who came to be known as The Claw. Claude was apprehended and imprisoned in the asylum on Gib’al’tarik. However that was not the end of the abominations that had been created by The Claw and the faction came under attack from creatures constructed from body parts taken from all races and from unliving horrors. A sucessor to King Maximillion was determined by an appointed court. The young Carlos VI of Estragales was crowned King in Florentia, the Royal and Ancient seat of the Kings of Estragales. He was aided and counselled by Manuel de Santiago, Cardinal of Florentia. The Red Branch and Rancid Tusk tribe were entrapped and killed. A watershed was reached for the Dark Alliance. Their numbers dwindled but their attacks remained sporadic and dangerous. Lord Louis d’Armoir’s reign as Lord Gryphon was ended abruptly in battle. Queen Joanna of Lyonesse and King Carlos VI of Estragales aided by Cardinal Manuel de Santiago appointed Morpork to be Lord Gryphon. The faction mounted a swift assault on the forces of The Claw in Obsidia. However, The Claw’s forces had grown such that it was impossible to defeat them with such a small number of Gryphons and, aided by a powerful Sylvan elf mage, the Circle of Darkness was activated and the strike force escaped through it to the Circle of Light in Rouens. 1104 AF This was a dark year for the Gryphons who were besieged on all sides - by the forces of The Claw in southern Lyonnesse and the huge forces of the Empire that had invaded northern Lyonnesse. With war raging throughout Lyonnesse the Vipers seized an opportunity to invade eastern Estragales and the Gryphon legions were hard pressed to defend on so many fronts. During this time the forces of Erich von Worner, known as The Claw, grew vastly and not only did he have the mortal remains of Karneyna, he also held control of the Circle of Darkness in Obsidia. Karneyna had convinced Erich von Worner that he must return to the site of Karneyna’s tomb – the Great Cathedral in Rouens. Erich acccordingly sent Gunther “The Butcher” Aldioc to the spring moot to demand that the faction withdraw from Rouens. Instead they killed Aldioc and resolved to defend the city. Things came to a head at the Gathering of Nations in Rouens, where a legion led by the reanimated Karneyna marched upon the Cathedral. The ancestor was once more defeated and his remains laid to rest in the tomb that was created for him 500 years previously. By this time the Empire forces held most of north eastern Lyonnesse and the locally recruited Legion Imperiale held certain key mountain passes linking Bruxelles to Strasbourg, thus consolidating their strong Eastern position and threatening the recently liberated Lyon from the south-east. At the Gathering of Nations the Empire rallied allies (both likely and unlikely) to prevent the Sylvan Elves from re-powering their faltering barrier in Western Lyonesse. With the resulting Imperial victory the route to the Sylvan homeland was left open. Also at the Gathering the faction was visited by Hugo Mephestini, alchemist, scholar and vampire-specialist, who had been tracking the Crown of Gharazon, a powerful artifact imbued with the essence of thirteen powerful vampires and acting as a phylactory to the spirit of the master vampire Gharazon, since it’s disappearance. He warned the faction that a great vampiric power was loose. 1105 AF The Royal City of Narbonnes was in turmoil as the Royal Guard mobilised to face the main Imperial thrust in the East of Lyonnesse. During the confusion two assassins gained entry to the palace grounds . The two were slain, but not before one struck Queen Joanna with a dagger. Her wound was not especially grievous, but within moments she fell into a swoon and died. Examination of the assassins weapons made it apparent that poison had been used. On hearing the news, Lady Ash, Lord Vultan and Prince Regent Manthar went immediately to Narbonnes and took Prince Briar away to a place of safety. Further investigation throughout the year revealed that other members of the Lyonnessian Royal line had met their deaths in a variety of ways. Suspicion soon fell on Raymond Visilesse when his daughter Nicole informed the Empire of assassins he had sent to kill faction command. It transpired that Visilesse believed he was next in line to the throne of Lyonnesse. A search was instigated into the whereabouts of Gerard de Wilfsbane of the Winged Goblet Bodega, renowned vintner and also of the royal line. The defeat of Karneyna at Rouens was a severe blow to Erich von Worner. Not only was a significant part of his construct army destroyed, but the ancestral spirit that had been guiding him for nearly a year was suddenly withdrawn, leaving him weak and confused. It was discovered that he was preparing another army to go forth and complete his dream of conquering the Gryphon lands and because of this intelligence the faction command decided to act against the Claw once and for all. Other factions pledged support against this threat and with their help the Gryphons retook Medway and Obsidia, killing von Worner in the process. Lord General Morpork announced his resignation from faction command on the Friday of the Obsidia moot, citing “a change of responsibilities” as the reason for his decision. Lady Ash Darkglade of Taureanna stepped into his place to take overall command of the faction, with Lord Vultan Stonefist acting as her deputy and Admiral Trian Starcraft taking the reinstated role “Lord Oceanus” to deal with military matters. Sadly the former Lord General Morpork fell during the assault on the Claw’s Obsidia stronghold. A large army of orcs and goblins led by a half troll by the name of Oncore established themselves in the outer edges of the elven forest of Taureanna. The nature of the forest began to change and the flora began to wither and die or become tainted. It was soon discovered that Oncore wore the Crown of Gharazon and he led many unliving within his uruk forces. 1106 AF Supported by the Legion of the Sun and the Legion of the Eagle, Lady Gryphon, Archduke Vultan and Lord Oceanus led the final assault on the stronghold of Oncore in Taureanna, routing and destroying nests of vampires and finally defeating the ancient vampire lord, Gharazon. This year also saw many and consistently stronger attacks on Gryphon lands by the Conclave of Elder Races. The most destructive of which was the attack on Moonhaven which caused an earthquake to bring down part of the mountain, destroying and burying the Great Cathedral, the head Guild House of the Incantors and killing thousands. The lands also began to show terrifying signs of instability, thought to be further signs of the approaching cataclysm that had been prophesied for many years. Following the uniting of several factions for an attack on the empire at the moot, the armies and navies struck at Imperial-occupied Lyonesse. It was soon known that Emperor Joshrim no longer had any Imperial legions on Gryphon soil and that the North was being held by the treacherous local forces of the Legion Imperiale, led by Nicole Visilesse, daughter of convicted murderer General Raymond Visilesse. At the Moot of Nations Nicole presented herself at the Gryphon Camp and proceeded to berate the Lady Gryphon for some perceived insult. Lady Ash took the opportunity to weaken the resolve of the Legion Imperiale by striking at the leader of the army and the combined forces of Section 8 and the Gryphon Vets led others in an attack which saw Nicole flee to safety within the Tarantulas’ camp. However her safe refuge crumbled once the Tarantula faction were made aware of Nicole’s part in the murder of Queen Joanna, Prince Manthar’s wife, due to the high regard they held for Manthar. She was killed together with the unit of troops she had brought with her. Investigators from House Gryphondwarf were dispatched to the Redstream Iron Mines near Augustea. These were operated by Lord Durrell and were the subject of serious allegations over worker safety. It was not clear whether certain accidents were as a result of more attacks by the Conclave, foreshadowing events connected to the cataclysm or just sheer negligence on behalf of those in charge. Further investigation later in the year revealed that some evil existed deep within the mine, causing insanity in those miners who had been working the deeper seams. Throughout the year the faction was tested time and again. A choice had to be made between the cadres of Feast, Famine, War of Peace and this choice was to have a profound effect on the world that would remain following the Cataclysm. In talks with Faction Command the Emperor Joshrim named Prince Briar as his heir, thus making him not only heir to the throne of Lyonnesse but also to the Empire. Joshrim named Lord Ordos of the Vipers, Joshrim’s son Francus and Prince Regent Manthar as regents to the young boy. Unfortunately, later that year in a Conclave attack, an earthquake caused the house he was in to collapse and Prince Briar was found dead at the foot of the stairs. 1107 AF Devastation struck at the Heartlands as for months the cataclysm wrought destruction throughout the lands. Chaos raged through the ritual and transport circle network across Erdreja with many circles left completely broken. In Florentia, the major ritual circle on Gryphon lands, the circle began to spark violently and a glowing rift formed. Thousands of entropy elementals poured out before being beaten back by the militia. Casualties were in the tens of thousands. In the city of Moonhaven a massive explosion occurred sending debris flying thousands of feet into the air, creating a crater miles across. For a few hours the ruins of Moonhaven were visible with its shattered towers and exposed basements and vaults. Then the rivers in the area started to flow into the deep crater, once again hiding the remains of the city and the waters spread as a great lake onto the Moonhaven Plains. Around two thousand souls lost their lives during this disaster. At the same time a giant green flare, lasting for three weeks, was seen shooting from the circle on the Plains. Then as suddenly as it had appeared, the flare collapsed. As the waters settled and stilled they became dark and forbidding, showing little reflection from the sky above. As the cataclysm struck Obsidia the circle in the town sparked and flickered then a torrent of energy arced from the edge of the Circle into the centre. The circle shut down, completely drained of power. Meanwhile a rumbling was heard from deep within the tunnels under the city. With a piercing shriek, a stream of absolute black exploded from a sewer cover, then another and still another. The power flooding out from the Circle of Darkness, channelled by the Obsidian rock, erupted into the sky. Obsidia was covered with a thick cloying cloud of darkness for a week in which many suffocated until finally the darkness lifted. Linked to the Circle of Darkness, the Circle of Light seemed in imminent danger of destruction as all the faithful of Rouen were led in Prayer by the Cardinal when a searing blast of light erupted from the Circle. A gentle blue glow appeared over all within the Great Cathedral as the light seared over them. Where the light escaped the cathedral it destroyed everything it touched, whilst all those that prayed inside were kept safe. In the great elven forest of Taureanna bursts of blue flame pulsed out of the circle causing a massive forest fire. Casualties were few and the majority of the elves survived but much of the north western corner of the forest was destroyed. A surprisingly short time later the forest was starting to burst with new life. This swift recovery is attributed to the efforts of the dryads and ents from Caerathaine Terruenell. Some of the circles lost power completely and ceased to function notably Calaise, Amiens, Bruxelles, Equazerra, Constantina, Genua, Neapolis, Lyon, Sacreville, Man-on-Tor, Palantir, Grenada, Trafalgar, Pandion, Lille and Ypres.